Concealed Etched
by Antevorte
Summary: Alice Cullen discovers an abandoned lake house after her unfortunate accident. Will the alluring house find the answer Alice never knew she seeks? For the 'A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words' Contest.


"A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words"

Title: Concealed Etched

Summary:

Alice Cullen discovers an abandoned lake house after her unfortunate accident. Will the alluring house find the answer Alice never knew she seeks? A disturbing, and shocking, truth may finally unfold.

Author(s): Antevorte

Disclaimer: SMeyer owns Alice & Jasper…I own nothing (sadly).

* * *

**Alice POV**

Here I was again. I've lost count on how many times I had visited this place after getting out of the hospital. It's like something is pulling me towards this lake house because**,** as I drive in my car, I unknowingly travel here. Was it a sign?

I shook my head. _Ridiculous_, I thought. _Why would I be getting signs? For what?_

From the many travels I've done, I've never once entered the place. It's truly bizarre for as, much as I want to, there's always this small voice holding me back.

But that all changes today. I had mustered up enough courage to enter as I closed the door of my yellow Porsche. I slowly walked to the bridge that led to the steps of the house.

The house was truly exquisite. It had the combination of glass and stone in an elegant finish. The spaces are open and the shapes are mostly rectangular. What had seemed to be the living room has windows that are, I think, retractable, and has a terrace with the view on land, where my Porsche sat waiting for me. There was a metal detailing on the wooden walls.

I reached two wooden doors after I had walked up the steps. When I had tried to pull the door open, it didn't budge. A feeling that a key was inside the pot on my left side welded up inside of me. I followed said feeling, and I was able to dig up the gold key. Opening the door, I peered inside first, before completely shutting the door behind me.

As I walked around, I became more amazed with the house. The interior designs were phenomenal, as if I had designed them myself, but there was one thing that had caught my attention. I knew that there was no one living in this house for it is abandoned, yet, I saw no dust – as if someone cleaned it every day.

I finished my tour of the first floor of the house. Just as I was about to sit on the long, white leather couch, a feeling flamed up within me again. I walked, not exactly sure where, until I had reached the door of what seemed to be the master bedroom. The feeling diminished and I stood there, looking dumbfounded.

Looking around, I slowly opened the door. A gust of wind rushed towards me making me close the door shut as I gasp for air, surprised. Taking a few deep breaths, I hesitantly opened the door again. Another gust hit my face, but this time, instead of closing the door, I opened it wide. After a few seconds, the winds stopped.

I was still in the hallway, afraid to enter a room that wasn't mine. I closed my eyes, and all fear vanished when I opened them again. I put my right foot inside the bedroom and then my left. Immediately, I dropped my handbag and closed my eyes. A wave of emotions and memories washed over me as I stood in the doorway. I felt myself being pulled back …back somewhere in time.

* * *

_It was September. Though it was cold here in the east coast, I was in the park with my Canon EOS 5D Mark II, taking pictures of nature; the maple leaves and birds, to be specific. _

_ Just a few seconds after taking the shot I had captured, my blackberry began to ring. I let my Canon hang around my neck as I searched my pockets for my vibrating phone. Feeling it on my back pocket, I took it out and looked at the picture. _

_ It was a pale brunette smiling right back at me. Bella. I sighed and pressed the end button. As much as I hate to worry my sister-in-law, I just can't help but want some peace. I'm sure that whatever she had to tell me can wait. Besides, it's not like I'm not going to apologize later. _

_ After getting the shots I had wanted, I sat on the black bench and began reminiscing about why I had taken up photography as my major, and what had happened that led me to move here in New York. By the time I had realized how long I had been in the park, the sun was setting. _

_ Not wanting to return to my empty apartment, I walked out of Griffith Park and into the city of lights. I walked and walked, with no destination in mind. By the time I realized where and what time it was, it was already twilight. I looked around my surroundings to figure out where I _

_had gotten myself. _

"_Lost?" a voice asked. _

_I turned around to see the source. A man with straight, blonde hair was sitting on the ledge of a fountain with an acoustic guitar. I pointed to myself, unsure if he was speaking to me or addressing someone else. He nodded at me, and I took a step towards him. I knew that he could be a crazy fellow, but honestly I didn't care anymore. I sat on his right hand side and looked at him. He looked right back at me. _

"_So, why are you roaming around like a nomad?" Looking back at the starry sky, I sighed. _

_Without looking at him, I replied, "Nothing really. I just thought that maybe I should be alone for a while." _

"_Everybody's got problems." I nodded as a way of agreeing with him. He continued, "But you know what? Running away won't solve that…it'll probably make it bigger." _

_ I glanced at him and he stared into my chocolate eyes. I felt as if he was staring into my soul, which made me quickly turn away, and intensely stare at the ground beneath my feet. A silence hangs in the air as I wait to see if he had anymore nonsense to advice me. When he didn't, I contemplated on what he had spoken. His words etched into my mind. A part of me knew that he was right, but the other half screamed that he didn't know what I had gone through. _

"_You alright?" My head whipped to my side. I took a deep sigh before nodding. "You don't seem alright." _

"_I think the majority of us aren't." He chuckled silently. _

"_Jasper." He extended his hand out to me and I unconsciously reached for it. "Care to tell me your name, princess?" he asked, as I put my hand back to my side._

"_Alice. Alice Cullen."_

"_You're British." I smirked slightly._

"_You're American."_

"_Touché."_

_ We chuckled softly as I fiddled with the camera that hung around my neck. Before I could think, I turned my Canon on and took a shot of Jasper, well a profile shot. The flash went off and he glared at me. Taken aback, I apologized._

"_Sorry. Um… I don't know what came over me."_

_ His eyes softened. Pushing back his hair, his gazed turned to the twinkling diamonds against the black sky. _

"_There are just some things that we can't help." _

_ My phone vibrated. It was Esme this time and I knew that I could not ignore her. Picking up my bag, I stood up and faced Jasper. _

"_Hate to say it, but you're right. Some things we can't help while others aren't meant to be." My Channel watch read the time that it was now 1 AM. "Now, I must go. It was nice meeting you." Just as I was about to turn, I felt him grasp my wrist tightly. I looked at his standing position, surprised at his actions. _

"_Will you be here tomorrow?" I held his eyes as I tried to have a glimpse of his soul and, possibly, find what his true motives were. I detected sadness and loneliness. _

_ I nodded. We stood there, him holding onto my wrist, and I tried to figure out who he really was. After a moment or two, he finally let go and I smiled briefly before leaving him. As I walked, I could feel his intense stare on my retreating figure. I didn't dare look back to what the expression showing on his face was. _

_ The next day, I came back, just as I had promised. He was already there, sitting on the same place as he had the day before. His head was down, which was why he didn't see me come up to him, being very attentive to the strings he was plucking. When he felt my presence, he stared up at me, startled, before a humongous grin took over. The grin on his face, that showed how extremely joyful he was, was very contagious. I found myself copying him. _

_ I sat down in the same place as before. He watched me closely, as I did, and then continued to play. Minutes passed as I listened to his strumming. After he finished playing a small composition that he had written, at least I think so because I've never heard of that song, he spoke._

_ We, then, began to chat aimlessly about random things. It went from the game twenty questions to our pasts. We met in the same spot and, in time, we got to know each other. I told him my life, well part of it. It still felt wrong for me to speak about my hidden past. But I did tell him my secrets and moments that had happened as the adopted daughter and sister to the Cullen family. When I had gotten to the sad one, the part about my adopted father, Carlisle, dying, I sobbed into his chest. Instead of keeping the feelings that I had felt that night I had found out, I exposed it to him, and he held me as if I was the most fragile thing on earth._

_ Was it right for me to tell someone that I hardly knew about my life?_

_ Whether it was or it wasn't, I hardly cared. I felt free when I spoke of those hidden secrets, even the embarrassing ones. Before I knew it, I fell in love. _

_

* * *

__Every day, since the first time I saw him, I had come to our meeting place at the same time as when I stumbled upon him. After the third day of us meeting up, we began to explore other places. We went to Starbucks for a late midnight snack, a stroll in the park and other places couples would normally go to in the day time, but not at the hour we would. _

_Yesterday, he had asked if we could possibly meet up in the afternoon. Eagerly, I had said yes since it would be our first time venturing out of the time of day we would normally see each other. I had tried to ask where we would be going, but all he said was that he was taking me somewhere. _

_When we saw each other at our usual spot, he greeted me with a kiss; something unexpected. But before it could go further, he took my hand and went to the street parking lot. It was there I saw a red motorcycle. I had asked what it was and he answered that it was his Ducati. I was shocked, for I never imagined that he had a car, let alone a motorcycle. He handed me a helmet, which I quickly put on, and he revved the engine before we began our journey towards the unknown destination._

_ When we lost sight of the buildings, I began to get worried. I had no idea where we were. The place was full of trees without leaves and there was no sign of people. It was so unlike New York, if we were even in New York. _

"_Jasper, where are we going?" I asked while laughing as he tugged my hand, urging me to keep moving forward. He had parked the motorcycle under a tree and was just pulling my hand. _

"_You'll see," was the only answer I was able to get out of him. I stopped walking and took my hand out of his. Crossing my arms, I raised my eyebrows. _

"_You know I hate surprises." He took a step towards me and gave me his puppy look eyes that he knows I wasn't able to resist. He uncrossed my arms and took my left hand._

"_Come on," he whispered and I let him drag me towards our surprise destination. We walked for a few minutes on the gravel pathway, but as I began to see our destination clearly, I gasped. Looking at him with my wide brown eyes, I opened my mouth to speak, but shut it close before any sound came out. "Surprised?" I nodded dumbly._

_We walked towards the location that I became more and more amazed with. It was a lake house; a beautiful lake house that had literally taken my breath away. It had the combination of glass and stone and waiting in the lake. We took a step on the bridge that led to the marvelous house and I knew then that I would want to stay there; forever._

_We had been staying at the lake house for about four days now. As we grew closer, mentally and physically, my heart ached. Every time he touched me, a flashback of my horrible past was revealed to me. I kept it a secret from others, besides my family, until one day I couldn't anymore. _

_It was one of those warm days that seemed like you would be able to do endless things. My back faced the white silky, circular bed while I stared at black and white balls of the chandelier. Jasper was lying on his side while staring at me intensely. I glanced at him, quizzically. _

"_What is it? What are you trying to hide from?" I turned to my side, my back facing his pale face. "What happened?" His voice strained, wanting to know about my hidden past. The past I've been trying to hide for years. _

"_It's doesn't have a happy ending," I whispered and even I could hear the sadness in my voice. I slowly turned to face him, tears brimming in my eyes and then I began to tell my tale. _

_ My voice was filled with sadness, anguish, and loneliness. I recounted to him of my parents abandoning me at age five, labeling me as insane and a freak. I told him of my little sister, Cynthia, pushing me to the doorsteps of the awful orphanage where they left me, while having a grin on her face and calling me a monster. Tears shed upon my face while I told him how the Cullens adopted me and how I had found out about my supposed death as the day my family gave me to the orphanage where I had resided for more than three years. _

_ I sobbed on his comforting chest. After what felt like hours, I fell into a deep slumber. When I had woken, he was gone. I abruptly sat up, which gave me a painful headache. Hanging onto my head, I walked towards the living room. _

"_Jasper?" I called out. There was no answer. "Jasper!" _

_I ran from the living room to the kitchen, desperately searching for her. I kept screaming his name, wondering where he was. I heard noise from the entrance and ran there. I exhaled the breath I had been holding as I saw his figure locking the door shut. He looked at me. _

"_What happened?" _

_I ran to his arms and wrapped my legs on his torso. My lips crushed on his. After a few minutes, we came up for breath. _

"_Well, I suppose I should leave more often if this is the kind of welcoming I'll get it." _

_Playfully, I smacked his chest. He chuckled at my reaction and walked towards the kitchen, with me still attached to him. He set me down on the counter, before putting the groceries that he had bought away, and returned to me as he smashed his lips against mine and I tugged on his shirt.  
_

_

* * *

_

_ After our first day, Jasper had told me where we were at. Apparently, we are in the border of New York and Vermont, in a lake called Lake Champlain; the place where we spent our blissful days. _

_ For the week that we had stayed, we never once left the house unless we needed to stock up on food. Naturally, I took a leave of absence at work and school. It was then that my family began getting worried and would call me every minute. I, of course, never answered their frantic phone calls since I feared that if I did they would just ridicule me for staying with a random stranger. To be quite honest, I hardly cared what they think because, when it comes down to it, it's my life…my decision. _

_ So, I turned off my phone on the third day. Jasper didn't reprimand me for doing it. In fact, he was quite happy since the constant ring was annoying the hell out of him. To me, it didn't matter if my only family was angry or worried, all that mattered was Jasper; the love of my life…my other half._

_ The house was as exquisite when I first saw it, but I fell more in love with it as I explored its territory. The only sad thing was__,__ that there was no electricity to generate the electronics we had. Jasper and I were then forced to buy some takeout food from the town nearby, but I was glad that there was no technology needed to keep us company because we had each other. _

_ When I had first explored the house, I had already felt familiar with it. As if, somehow, I had lived in that house before. I dismissed the thought because I had figured it was because I had completely loved the house. _

_ There was only one peculiar thing though. What had somewhat bothered me was that I didn't need any clothes, at least, not enough to go back to my apartment. There were already clothes in the walking closet of the master bedroom. The clothes were just a perfect size for me, which I was stunned. _

_ I had asked Jasper who the clothes had belonged to and he said that he bought them…for me. Of course, that got my feelings all warm and bubbly that we had a make out session__**,**__ which led to another thing. _

_

* * *

__By our week and a half stay in the lake house, I noticed that something was amiss with Jasper. Though I had spoken to him about my life, he barely speaks of his. When I do try to pry it out of him, he shuts up or changes the subject. At first, I wasn't bothered by it. I mean, it was his decision and I had been sure he would tell me after a day or two. But when I tried the third time, I finally had enough. _

_ Jasper had left for town to get some fuel for his motorcycle, some food and other things we may need. I was so frustrated that I couldn't focus on reading my book – Pride & Prejudice. So, out of frustration, I began walking around the bedroom. I was just randomly walking when I stepped on a loose floor board. I stepped on it again, to be sure that I did hear it._

_When I knew that I wasn't imagining it, I lay with my stomach on the floor and pressed my ear against the board. I knocked on it and I could tell that I would be able to pry it open. Rushing out the door, I went straight for the kitchen and looked through the drawers. Getting the first tool that I saw, which was a claw hammer, I ran back up stairs to where the loose board was. It took me three times before I was able to hold the board up to see what was inside. What I saw shocked me._

_There was a plastic bag covered in dust and held contents inside. It wasn't as big __as __I thought it would be. It seemed to only hold papers and such. I coughed briefly before opening it. Taking out the contents, I was shocked. There was an old newspaper clipping, a picture and four pieces of paper that held music notes and looked to be finished. The newspaper was dated __from some __fifteen years ago so I read the newspaper first._

_Specifically at twelve midnight, an accident in the city of Plattsburgh, near Lake Champlain, happened. A blue SUV and a red BMW collided with one another. Five people were involved in the collision. Four of them were killed in the accident. Their names were Maria Whitlock (23), Nettie Whitlock (9 months), Rosalie Hale (21), and Emmett McCarty (24). The husband of Maria Whitlock, and father of Nettie Whitlock, Jasper Whitlock (25), was brutally injured. When the ambulance had come, he was still alive. Unfortunately, just as they were nearing the CVPH Medical Care Center, they lost him._

_I felt time become frozen as I finished the last three words – 'they lost him.' I reread the small piece of paper, wanting to be sure that I had read the name correctly. My eyebrows furrowed as confusion took over. _

'_But that…that couldn't be,' I thought to myself. 'Jasper can't be dead because he's alive. Unless this isn't Jasper…'_

_ I grabbed the picture, hoping that it was not the Jasper that I knew. Oxygen ran out as I stopped breathing. My heart thumped loudly, demanding air to breathe. But I didn't care. Slowly, fearing what I had suspected was the truth; I read the words on the back slowly. _

_Mr. and Mrs. Jasper Whitlock with their new bundle of joy, Nettie Whitlock – 6 months._

_ The picture__ was__ dated fifteen years ago, about three months before the accident occurred. Turning it to the front, the picture was focused on three people smiling happily. _

_It showed a short woman __of stature __with black brunette hair that went down to waist. She was wearing a simple yellow dress that hid her feet and was smiling towards the man next to her. Her husband, who was only inches taller than her, was looking down to her with a smile__;__ like he had found his angel. He was wearing a tux and had his right index finger captured by his daughter's firm gripped. Their child was wearing a pink and blue yellow lace dress and a pink bow on her head. _

'_Jasper…' I thought as I traced his face with my right index finger. _

_ He looked unbelievably blissful. There was not a hint of sadness__,__ or loneliness__,__ deep within his eyes. His features were the same, as if he had never aged at all. Many thoughts and questions circulated my mind. _

'_Why was he still alive if he is supposed to be dead? Could it be __he's__ some sort of mythical creature, or was it that he is a mere spirit?' _

_ I shook my head as a way to get rid of my last question. He couldn't be a spirit since I had touched him, kissed him and became one with him. There is a possibility that he could be a vampire__, b__ut I dismissed that thought. If he was a vampire, he wouldn't be able to go out in the daylight like that afternoon he had waited for me to come here in the lake house. _

_ If Jasper Whitlock was supposed to be dead, then who was the Jasper that I was with?_

_ Remembering that there were four sheets of music notes, I took them from the floor and began reading the titles._

'_Crush…Eclipse of the Heart…Need You Now…Concealed Etched.'_

_ Edward, my brother, was the musical genius from our family. When I was little__,__ I would listen to him play__,__ and in return he would teach me how to read the notes in the paper so I could semi-play. I was finally able to put that lesson into good use as I read the notes. _

_ When I reached the paper that held the notes for the music Concealed Etched, I realized that that song was the one he had played the first time I met him. I was so lost in my mind that I didn't realize someone was behind me until I heard a 'clank.'_

"_Jasper," I whispered as I turned back to face him. _

_He was frozen in place. His hazel eyes were wide open before striding to where I was and snatching everything I had stumbled upon __in__to his arms and glaring at me, accusingly. His mouth was opened, but I beat him to the punch. _

"_I'm…I'm sorry Jasper. The floorboard was loose so I took my chance at taking it off. That's when I noticed that bag." I pointed to bag with my shaking hands. My voice was shaking, confused and scared clearly heard._

"_How much did you see?" His tone was harsh and cold. I could tell that he was straining to remain calm. I gulped before I answered_

_Whispering, I said, "All of it." _

_ Once again, I felt time frozen. The warmth of the house was replaced by a cold air. I was able to hear my heart thump__ing__ loudly and wondered if he was able to hear it as well. Seconds passed before he moved. He began putting all the stuff in his arms __back in__to the dusty plastic bag. After he was done, he stared at me. The depths of his eyes were endless and I wasn't able to pick up a hint of emotion at all. _

"_Jasper__. P__lease, explain __it __to me. I…I don't understand any of this."_

_ Still holding the bag, he sat down at the edge of the bed. He took out __a__ picture __from__ the bag, and looked at it, clearly lost in thought. His faraway eyes frightened me for some reason. _

"_I came back for you," he began. I sat down in front of him, begging him to continue. "You are my life, Maria." _

_Maria._

_Did he just say Maria?_

_ Just as I was about to speak, he looked at him and whispered in a pain voice. "I didn't think that there would be another car. I didn't mean to lose control!" He kneeled down to where I was__,__ and shook me vigorously. "I DIDN'T MEAN TO! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"_

_ I stayed firmly on the ground as he sobbed, still clutching to my shoulder__s__. I didn't understand what he had meant. First__,__ he called me Maria, and now he was apologizing to me while crying. This was a situation that I've never experienced before. _

_ I'm not Maria. I'm someone who is completely different from her. My name is Alice. _

"_Jasper." My small voice became loud as I began chanting that I wasn't Maria, that I was Alice. "Jasper__,__ stop. I'm not Maria." His head snapped to look at me; staring into my eyes, before shaking his head. _

"_No…no__,__ you are her. I know. That's why I called you out. You too had called out to me__. Y__ou__,__ walking in a daze with a camera in hand, just like the first __time __I had met you." He gently caressed my face. "Maria. My sweet soul mate. "_

_ Tears were brimming in my eyes. I pushed him off and I could see that my action had shocked him. I bit my lower lip while shaking my head. It couldn't be that he had only seen me as Maria__,__ and not as Alice. _

"_No," I whispered. "NO!" Burying my face in my hands, I cried to myself. I had been a fool. He was never into me. He tried to touch me__,__ but I pushed him away. "No!" I shrieked. "Get away from me!" _

_ My face buried deep in my hands, while my legs were my walls. I could feel his eyes staring into my position, unsure of what he should do. We stayed that way for many hours until my tears dried and the sun set into twilight. _

_ I __peeked__ at Jasper, with my face still __i__n my hands. He was fast asleep__,__ just as I had been moments ago. He was leaning against the end of the bed with his right leg up and his face buried on the shoulder that was on top of said leg. _

_ The moonlight shone on his __seemingly __transparent __skin__. Slowly, I crawled towards him with my hand extended out to touch his face. When I did, instead of the warm heat I had felt before, it was cold as ice. I retracted my hand and squinted my eyes to look at him closely__, b__ut before I could do anything further, he woke up._

"_Maria? What's wrong?" I tensed when he called me by her name again. He was about to touch me, but thought twice. Getting up, he stood in the doorway and said, "Go to sleep. Time is not important to us." _

_ Nodding slightly, I got up dazed and began walking to__wards__ the bathroom. After getting ready for bed, I __peeked__ inside the bedroom to see that Jasper wasn't there. Part of me had wanted him to be there, waiting for me just like before, but the other part wanted him gone. Nothing good was going to come out __of__ me staying in the bathroom, so I went to get comfortable in the bed. I was tucked and all, but instead of getting some REM, my eyes were open and I began to analyze the conundrum that I was in. _

_ Jasper isn't dead nor is he alive. He thinks that I am his late wife, Maria, even though I'm not. But what does he mean that time doesn't exist for us? Doesn't that sentence sound a bit vampiric? And why is __it __that I'm able to be in this sort of situation and still be calm about it? Maybe there is something wrong in my head__,__ just like Bella has pointed many times to me. _

_ Groaning, I turned to my left, still in deep thought. I had many unanswered questions that __weren't__ helping at all. I needed answers and I needed them now. I shot up from the bed and searched the room. Jasper wasn't in sight, so staying still, I listened to my surroundings. Nothing. The only sound that I was able to hear was the crickets, breeze and my own heartbeat. _

_ I flopped back on the bed and stared __at__ the ceiling. If Jasper isn't dead__,__ even if he was supposed to be, what does that make him? With that last thought, I fell into darkness without any notice. _

_

* * *

__Instead of finding myself in bed, I found myself walking up __in __a street that I've never been __to __before. In my hand was a Polaroid camera and I began taking pictures of the scenery. _

"_Lost?" a voice asked. Turning to the source, I was shocked to see a man, approaching me slowly with a guitar hanging on his back. I looked around and pointed to myself, unsure if it was me he was talking to. He nodded before speaking. His face was inches from mine and I was able to see that his face was like a god. "So__,__ why are you roaming around like a nomad?" _

_ I gave him half a smile before responding. "Nothing really. I just figured that it's best for me to be alone for a while." With that, we fell into a conversation__,__ just like putting a foot into a perfect size shoe. _

_ The scene changed. This time__,__ I was sitting in front of the man I had met moments before. He was holding my hand__, b__ut his expression __told__ me that he's anxious. _

"_What's wrong?" I asked worriedly. He gave me a reassured smile__,__ which did not help me at all. _

"_There's something that has been going through my mind for a while now…"_

"_Tell me." There was a silence and the grand clock on the wall ticked loudly. _

"_I love you," he whispered. I looked at him, my eyes wide open. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." Quickly taking his hand out of mine, he began fidgeting with his napkin. _

"_No. I…I love you too." It was his turn to look at me with his hazelnut eyes. Grabbing both of my hands, he grinned at me happily. _

_ Once more, the scene changed. This time, I was on a beach with the sun setting on my side. Someone was holding my left hand and I looked down. He was kneeling with a box on his hand. I pressed my lips together and tried not to let the tears fall down__,__ for I knew what was about to come. _

"_Maria Moreno, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" _

_ My heart burst as the tears cascaded down my face. I nodded fervently before speaking. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" He stood up and picked me up__,__ twirl__ing__ me around__, b__oth of us laughing together in pure bliss. _

_I found myself__,__ this time__,__ sitting on a rocking chair near a window. Hearing the cries of a baby, I immediately got up to check on the child. _

"_Shh…Nettie darling," I spoke in a motherly tone. The baby's cries halted and I began humming. _

"_She__'s__ awake?" Jasper asked, leaning on the doorway. Even with him just waking up and holding a baby's bottle, he still look__ed__ as handsome as ever. I nodded and he wrapped his arms on my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder. "She's a beauty, just like you," he whispered before kissing my cheek as I giggled. _

_ I was now in a car, in the passenger seat. My husband had both hands on the wheels and I was caressing his ear, a habit of mine whenever he drove. I heard my daughter giggle in the back seat and looked at her, smiling to myself. I turned back to my seat and began playing with the radio. _

"_Switch the channels more and we're gonna have to buy a new stereo." I looked up at the voice, and glared playfully. He winked at me and I giggled. Before I knew it, a light caught my attention to my right. _

"_Watch out!" I cried. But it was too late. The light was coming closer, and I unbuckled my seatbelt as fast as I could and dove in the back. Just as I reached the fingertips of my daughter, I felt the impact and a faint "Maria!" from my husband. Then, darkness wrapped its arms around me and the pain numbed. _

_Dreams represent a world of imagery in which our darkest fears, deepest secrets__,__ and most passionate fantasies break out from our unconscious mind. At least__,__ that's what I read from an article. But I suppose that article was wrong__,__ for I had just dream__t a dream__ that wasn't about my fears, secrets, or fantasies. _

_So, there I was, lying on the circular bed, perspiring, with no clue as to how I had dreamt those scenes. It was so vivid, especially the last one. I shuddered and inhaled. Smelling something burning, I immediately became alarmed and shot up from my bed. Putting my robe on, I was halfway down the stairs when I saw the smoke and fire spreading everywhere._

_I searched the grounds for Jasper and even cried out his name, but to no avail. The smoke was beginning to reach to where I was and__,__ immediately__,__ I covered my mouth so I wouldn't inhale anymore smoke. I coughed loudly as I reached the final step and yelled Jasper's name. There was still no answer. I tried to go into the kitchen__,__ but the wood ha__d__ fallen off, blocking my path. Everywhere I looked there was fire__,__ but still no sign of Jasper. I began whimpering, fearing for his life and mine._

_I was beginning to get desperate. What if he had been struck? I turned around, but there was no way to go. Everything was on fire. I was rooted in that place, wondering what my next move should be. _

"_JASPER!" I screamed __at__ the top of my lungs before coughing due to inhaling too much smoke. That was it. I couldn't help it anymore. I had to leave while the door wasn't covered in fire. _

_I looked one last time at the house I had shared with the one that I thought was the love of my life before covering my face and launching myself into the door, smashing it open. I breathe__d__ loudly, practically gasping for air. I ran as fast as my tired legs could until I had reached land. Then__,__ I heard a deafening crunch and turned around so fast that it made my head hurt. But I didn't care. What I saw broke my heart and I screamed out in disbelief._

_The house__,__ that I shared those beautiful two weeks__,__ was coming apart. The blazing hot fire took over the usually calm water and sturdy wood. The wood forming the house was turning into ash. I yelled Jasper's name one last time before finally giving up hope. _

'_You can't stay here forever. Come on, get up! Go back to your apartment; just don't stay here!' a voice commanded me. I followed the orders of the voice__,__ and walked unfocused into the open road. _

_ I didn't dare look back behind me. What I had witnessed, in front of the bridge, was enough to last me a lifetime. All I could do was hope that Jasper was not in that house and that he had left the house for whatever reason. A few tears fell down__,__ my now burnt__,__cheeks __before I roughly brushed them away. _

_ The next thing I knew__, I__ was hearing a beeping noise. Turning to my left, I saw white light before the darkness opened its arms to me. _

_

* * *

_Thump. Thump. Thump.

_Now we have finally come into a full circle._

My eyes flow open as I heard my heartbeat thumping loudly against my chest. That was it. It was over. I was finally free of the past's firm grip and was released back to the present.

It took me mere seconds to realize that I was sprawled out on the floor. Slowly, I got up and began massaging my temples. A headache was exactly what I needed right now. I touched my face hesitantly and felt water. I looked at the teardrops on my hand before lying back down on the wooden floor because I had lost the energy I had gained from waking up. And I knew, as I lay there, that I was the piece that I had missed…the piece that I had forgotten. I got up once more with the help of my arms.

Tears cascaded like a waterfall and I realized that I was making a sound – an awful, high pitch noise. Burying my face on my hands, I continued to sobbed, letting all of my emotions fall out. I was pretty sure that my cries were echoing throughout the house.

Jasper. My Jasper.

He was gone; gone before I had truly met him. My first love. My first everything. And that's when I knew, though I don't know how, that he had been gone long before the fire had started, just like he had been taken even before I had met him. But I was able to fully understand the metaphor of a broken heart because mine had been ripped from my living body before falling into millions of pieces.

Minutes, or hours, passed as I continued to cry my soul out. Tears stopped flowing down and I was able to be calm enough to shakily stand up. Not grabbing my bag, I walked slowly towards the bed where he and I shared many mornings and evenings. Then I began to wonder.

Was it Fate brought the two of us on that night? Did he really see Maria within me? Could I possibly be Maria?

I shook my head. _Ludicrous_, I thought. Maria has been dead for fifteen years so there was no way I could be her. I was Alice. She was Maria. We are two different people like the sun and the moon.

My thoughts shifted to Jasper, wondering where he was and what he was up to. Even though, I was never his and he was never mine, I missed him terribly. But I don't blame him for the events that led up to this. It wasn't his fault. All he did was search for Maria; his love.

I laughed at myself, for crying seemed to be the only thing I was good at, as my vision became blurry again. Turning away from the bed, I took my stuff and began walking out. I touched the walls, and things I was able to, on my way to the entrance door. After opening it, I glanced at the living, kitchen, and all those things that my eyes could reach. Finally, I stepped away from the house and closed the door behind. I continued to walk until I reached land. I heard a voice just as my foot touches the mainland.

Turning abruptly, I was shocked to see, that the house I had seen when I came here, was gone. Parts of the bridge remained, though burned. There was no sign of the house, just ashes and burnt wood. I was spellbound.

_How could this have…_, I trailed off. Then a gush of wind rushed past me and I heard. "Alice."

It was then that I knew. The house had been there because someone wanted to show me what I had forgotten. Someone I loved had done that just for me. _Jasper_.

Tears tickled down my face as I said, "Good bye, Jasper. I'll always love you." With that said, I turned towards my yellow car, hopped onto the driver's seat, and drove off. As I did, I could have sworn that I heard Jasper saying,

"Live. Live for me…because I do love you."

* * *

**Two Weeks Later**

I blinked. It was odd. This area that I was now driving on was very familiar, yet somehow, not really. I'm not even sure as to how I had ended here. All I know was that my sister-in-law, Bella, was asking me questions I had no answers for, and that I had gotten in my car to cool off. Now here I was; in a town I've never known and driving past leafless trees.

Is there even a town like this in New York? Maybe this was a sign. I shook my head for the umpteenth time. _Why would I be getting signs for?_

Finally deciding that it was time for me to stop, I parked my car in front of a lake house that had a bridge attached to it as a way for people to get inside since the house was sitting in the lake. Getting out of my car, I inspected the house. It was a gorgeous house. It was mostly rectangular shaped with glass as windows. It was truly beautiful; yet vaguely familiar.

I turned the engine of my yellow Porsche off, and began walking towards the bridge. All the while, I was getting a strange vibe like I've been here before.

* * *

_Hey y'll!__  
So this is my first ever written one-shot, so shoot me a nice, constructive review x)  
Also, please vote (when voting time comes) if you truly liked my story. It would mean the WORLD to me!_

_xx  
Antevorte  
_


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